


Rehearsed Smiles

by TargaryenPug



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: based on the new clip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:21:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24131992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TargaryenPug/pseuds/TargaryenPug
Summary: They are about to have dinner with Horde Prime, and it's a terrifying prospect for both.So, Catra tries to teach Glimmer how to navigate through tyrants.
Relationships: Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 60





	Rehearsed Smiles

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this
> 
> [Dinner with Horde Prime](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9l0Nh4U8x0&feature=youtu.be)
> 
> beautiful and terrifying clip.
> 
> just some things before dinner.

“No” she says

“NO!?” Glimmer yells.

“Sparkles, listen to me, I know what I’m talking about, and as strange as it might sound, I’m trying to keep you alive…” Catra reasoned, she couldn’t trust her, not one bit, but aboard that awful ship she was the one person she could trust the most.

“You don’t answer back to him, you eat your meal, even if it’s disgusting and it most likely will, you keep your mouth shut and you thank him; act as if he’s a gracious host and bow before you leave...got it? You don’t attack him, he's bigger and stronger than you and you don’t have your powers up here, nor do we have the numbers”... she continued to argue, calmly as she could.

“So I just swallow it? And allow him to do as he pleases” Glimmer was, in truth, terrified of Horde Prime...she had a good reason to, Catra was scared of him as well, but at least she had certain experience with tyrants, she had navigated through them her whole life, she just needed to repeat to herself over and over again how undifferent Prime was from Shadow Weaver, she just needed to repeat herself more often. Because Shadow Weaver was the nightmare of her childhood, and she eventually could beat her.

“Yes” answered Catra bluntly.

“Like you? Am I supposed to turn into a bootlicker now?”

“I have survived this long, haven’t I?” was all Catra said back. “I have some expertease, I have some experience, I would have died years ago if I didn’t know what I’m talking about, so again, you smile and you thank him politely and maybe he won’t shock you”

The clone entered through the door again, Catra was unsure if it was Hordak or just another one of the thousands of clones that look exactly alike that roam about the place, she remembered back in her childhood when Hordak was the most terrifying being in existence and how easily he had been disposed by Prime; Catra had not felt fear in a while, she had felt anger, sadness, some fleeting moments of joy and emptiness...but not fear, she had been the biggest and meanest for a while, so she had forgotten how it felt when there was someone bigger and scarier.

Glimmer was going through a similar process on her own, Prime was unlike anything the Princess Alliance had ever gone through, including her temporary ally, and being powerless...Glimmer thought, through those days, that every day would be her last and being summoned to dinner with Prime certainly did nothing to mitigate the effect, her consolation, her only source of comfort, was that she had with her the worst person in Etheria, and if anyone could navigate through the greatest villain of the universe, it should be the greatest villain of Etheria.

“Dinner will be served in 30 minutes,” said the clone.

“Thank you” said Catra, answering to the clone before this one left and they were alone again.

“What am I supposed to do if he asks me something?” she asks

“Tell him something, don’t give him everything but don’t lie either, this is a game of resistance, sparkles, all we have to do is hold on for as long as possible and eventually, someone will come to rescue you, but you have to survive meanwhile; don’t answer back to him, don’t insult him, don’t crack jokes, don’t speak unless spoken to and do not refuse to eat…” a single tear fell down from Glimmer’s left eye, Catra then gently wiped the tear with her index, the tear rolled down Catra’s fur and into her claw and eventually into the ground, she gently pressed her hand against Glimmer’s face and placed her other hand in Glimmer’s shoulder… there was a faint smile that was contradicted by her sincerely sad eyes and the look of her eyebrows, they were at that moment, closer than they had ever been before.

“...And don’t cry...not in front of him, the Horde detests weakness and crying is a sign of it, if you absolutely must then hold it until you are alone, he wants to see what makes you tick, in the time don’t give anything, do not show any expressions on your face...don’t give him even a single tear”

Glimmer only nodded slightly with her head, she missed her mom, now more than always, and her only consolation now was the monster who took her away; and yet each passing day she looked less and less like a monster. She had more tears, stuck in her throat and the bubbling desire to let it out and sob, even if it were on Catra’s shoulder, she wanted her friends, her mom, she wanted to cry...but she did as told and swallowed it, her tears and her wounded pride.

Catra grabbed her head dress from the night stand and placed it gently on her head, her own mask.

“You’re going to be fine, Sparkles, it just takes practice”

Practice...Glimmer didn’t believe anyone should practice bottling their emotions and display nothing, it shouldn’t take practice to navigate through tyrants and arraging their lives to avoid their anger, it shouldn’t take practice to resist through torture and pretend that everything was ok the next day.

But she had to do it and at least now, she had the expert with her.

The clone returned, shortly after.

“Dinner is served, your majesty...commander, would you do me the honor of following me? Right this way please” said the clone, servile, tranquil and as emotionless as a robot, this could very well be Hordak, or it could be another clone, and both Glimmer and Catra hated the fact that neither knew if such was the case or not.

Catra placed her arm so Glimmer could grab herself from there, they exchanged quick looks, of sadness, worry and absolute fear. Then a faint smile.

“Are you ready, Sparkles?” she asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be” she answered back, before both turned to the clone with big fake smiles in their faces full of artificial courtesy and rehearsed grins…

“Thank you, we’re ready…” they said politely and as robotic as the clones…

“Right this way…”


End file.
